Children are cute. Wolves are awesome. But when children and wolves get together to play, they are cuter than the sum of their parts. These photos of children playing with wolves are a perfect storm of cuteness.

When a wolf wants to play, it prances about happily and bows—lowering the front of its body while its rump stays up in the air with its tail wagging.

A wolf's body language may remind you of another animal: a pet dog. Wolves and dogs are closely related, and the ways they communicate are similar.

Why Not "The Good, Sweet Wolf"? There are many words and phrases in the English language that make negative references to wolves.

Photo Credit: Shlomi Nissim

Childhood stories also portray wolves as "the bad guy", teaching children from an early age that wolves are dangerous. A good kid loves wolves because wolves are indispensable to the natural world.

Photo Credit: Shlomi Nissim

Wolf with Native American Children Photo Credit: Joe Whittle

Photo from movie

Photo from movie

Boy with "Maned Wolves" The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is the largest canid of South America